Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am shocked by the good reviews this book is getting. I made this purchase thinking I'd learn how to "care for, improve and maintain" my home. Instead I found a bunch of non-specific reasons why I need to maintain my home and nothing about how to do so. What exactly are these reviewers referring back to? There is no information here that is complete enough to be useful. I am willing to bet that I never need to open this book again.
Anyone who has ever moved already knows most of the helpful hints contained in the first 1/3 of this book. We're talking about simple things like: change your address with the post office; find out how to get from your new house to your office; call the electric company and get the power turned on...
The real content is in middle third of the book. That's the section that's supposed to be about maintaining your home. Here's the gist: Houses have plumbing systems, call a plumber. Houses have electric systems, call an electrician. (Unless you want to change the color of your light switch, apparently as women we're all supposed to get giddy at the thought of light switches in different colors.) The repairs chapter is concentrated on which professionals to call in. Roof trouble requires a roofer... There are a whopping 2 paragraphs about doing repairs yourself. In these paragraphs Ms. Werner recommends purchasing a book about home maintenance!!! The seasonal and yearly checkup chapters are the only redeeming part of the whole book, although they are still lacking. These consist basically of a list of places to check for structural damage.
The final 1/3 of the book contains more generalized information that about emergency planning, picking schools for your kids and canceling your mail when you go on vacation. Again, this is not really relevant to home improvement, and is mostly targeted at people lacking common sense or people who have made long distance moves. This is followed up by a few pages about remodeling. Guess what: you're supposed to call a contractor to do you're remodeling.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Savvy Woman's Guide to Owning a Home: How to Care for, Improve and Maintain Your Home
In a light and humorous way, yet clear and detailed enough to be of real help, the book teaches the basics of home care, safety, and getting into a new community. It covers everything from moving into the new place, to seasonal and yearly "to do" lists, to dealing with a host of repairs.The book is laid out in a sensible way and contains sidebars with lots of helpful hints and fun anecdotes.It's something I could easily see becoming a bible for the new homeowner, female or male, but is especially excellent for women because it avoids the jargon often used when such information is geared toward men.KK Wilder, Producer, "Wild Spirit: The Writing Life"
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